


For You: What Do We Want

by makeme



Series: For You [2]
Category: NCT, WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkward Crush, College, Crushes, Developing Relationship, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Mutual Pining, Pining, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:01:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26860312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makeme/pseuds/makeme
Summary: Hendery likes Maya. Maya likes Hendery. When the hell are they going to get together?
Relationships: Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Original Female Character(s), Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Reader
Series: For You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822960
Kudos: 3





	For You: What Do We Want

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lolshh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolshh/gifts).



Apparently, Heart attacks are more likely to happen on a Monday. 

That’s the first thing Hendery said to Maya on an ironically lovely Tuesday morning; Which technically means she was less likely to suffer from a heart attack at that very moment. However, it wasn’t impossible. In fact, it’d be very much likely to happen right now seeing as Hendery’s presence alone was causing alarming palpitations to arise in Maya’s chest. She pushed out a few words. 

“Is that so?”

Well, what else could she say? That she already knew? That’d mean she’d have to admit she was as near as lame as Hendery was for knowing such a fact — which was not true considering Hendery was the world’s biggest yet most comfortable dork it had ever seen — meaning he had already taken that spot of first place. 

She couldn’t say the fact was interesting either. What if she sounded suspicious for knowing Monday’s infamous act of being Heart attack host day? Then Hendery would just be put off with the thought of her entirely and she would never, ever, EVER have a chance with the dreamiest (that was a stretch) man she had ever met and will forever have to live with that mistake simply because she said having a Heart attack on a Monday was interesting!

Okay, so maybe she was freaking out just a bit too much. It was still a possibility though, right?

“Yeah. it is so.” Hendery nodded slowly at Maya’s answer before flashing a rather perfect smile at her. God, she was developing a second heartbeat just from a smile? She was in too deep. In too deep for someone who clearly (in Maya’s eyes) didn’t like her back. This was a disaster. 

The two of them started to automatically walk in the same direction. The conversation between them was light. Nothing too extravagant, just the normal things friends talk about. That was until Hendery stopped following the script, broke out of character and asked a really... a really scary question. 

“So, uh, Maya. Would you like to, I don’t know… hang out this week?”

Maya was so certain she heard a record scratch right there and then. Her footing stuttered slightly, her heart sped up once again. Okay, she needed to play this cool. 

“Uh...We always hang out though.”

That was cool enough, right? Maya forced a small smile just so she wouldn’t seem as nervous to how she really was. Hendery shook his head, his eyes downcasted before he looked up to the side to meet hers. 

“No, I mean.. just the two of us. Alone.”

Okay, Maya. Calm down. It’s okay. It’s totally okay! Okay! You’ve got this! Just think carefully about your next words—

“J-just the two of us?”

You just said think carefully!

Hendery started to mirror Maya’s panicked look. Was she opposed to the idea? She looked weirded out by it. Hendery had to backtrack. 

“Yeah? As friends! Just friends. Nothing more than that.”

Maya froze. 

Just friends. 

She started to nod slowly, her physique physically sagging. She had to smile. She had to. She couldn’t look too bummed out, that would give her whole heart away. 

“Oh. Oh...yeah sure.”

Hendery seemed so easily won over by that. The male had such a bright smile on. 

“Great! I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Maya looked around quickly. This was so embarrassing she had to get out of there. 

“Okay, bye now.” And with that she had already sped down the corridor, certain that Monday being the most likely day to have a Heart attack on was an absolute lie. It was Tuesdays. 

The door to Riann’s room was flung open, a distressed Maya already with her back on the bedroom floor before Riann could even turn around from her desk seat, lips rolled up and hands clasped together. 

“Why thank you Miss Maya for respecting my privacy.”

“Riiaann…”

“What can I help you with?” The older girl turned back around within her seat towards the desk yet kept her communication with the girl going. There was the sound of structured keyboard tapping, Riann had gotten back to work. 

“Riaaaaaaaan.” 

“Yes, Maya?” 

There was a fake sniff before another pouty whine, this one more accented than the ones before. 

“Riaaaaaaaannnnnnnn.”

The tapping paused. 

“This better not be about Hendery.”

“It’s about Hendery!”

The faux wailing Maya started caused Riann to smile softly, shaking her head as she once again turned round to watch the girl lie on the floor. 

“Has it gotten that bad? How was your date anyways, didn’t you guys go for a meal?”

“Riann it’s so bad! He probably thinks I’m lame or probably doesn’t even look at me like a woman. The date wasn’t even a date! It was stupid! Just hanging out as normal. He doesn’t like me, I just know it.” Maya sat up, her eyes brimmed with tears. “Does Hendery even like women?”

“Oh, I very much assure you he does.” Riann snorted softly. 

“Then why doesn’t he like me?! Is it me? Am I the problem?!”

Shaking her head, Riann rolled her desk chair closer to the devastated girl, a rather sympathetic pout on her lips. She poked the girl’s stomach with the tip of her toes. 

“No, Maya you’re not the problem. In fact, you’re anything but the problem.”

Maya huffed, hands gravitating towards holding onto Riann’s ankle, shaking it as she whined more. 

“And how do you know that?”

Riann sat back in her chair, her index finger tapping the side of her nose. 

“Now that’s for me to know and for you to eventually find out.”

“Argh, I hate this!” Maya flung herself back down onto the floor, a small painful whine at the realisation she had done that too hard. 

Riann did feel sorry for the girl. If anything, it reminded her of the fumbling and uncertain days that she and Lucas use to share not too long ago themselves. In reality, Maya and Hendery’s attraction to each other was firmly mutual — painfully obvious since they both constantly gave each other hints and signs, their dynamic sparking from the moment they met. However, the doubt on one end and the lack of courage on the other was as compatible as oil and water. She’s been trying so hard to give Maya the assertion that Hendery indeed likes her back but along with Hendery’s bizarre ability to never confront Maya about his feelings in the first place, it was getting hard to carry on convincing her. 

What was it like on the other end of things? How was Hendery feeling? She hadn’t discussed this with her boyfriend yet but Riann just hopes Lucas was on the same page as she was. 

“Fatality!”

The screen flashed the red words of doom before Lucas’s character once again brutally ended Hendery’s, the gory effects of blood splattering onto the screen. Lucas sighed. 

“Bro, that’s my 5th win in a row.”

Hendery was quick with an off comment. 

“Looks like you’re getting better.”

Lucas placed his controller onto the coffee table just in front of him before sitting back on the sofa. His head still faced forward at the TV, watching the finisher menu asking him whether he wanted a rematch, go back to character select or to exit the game. 

“No, Hendery. Those wins weren’t about me getting better, that was about you being spaced out for the last 5 rounds.” Lucas finally turned towards his friend, a concerned look on his face. “Bro, what’s up?”

A long groan left Hendery’s throat as he laid his head backwards on top of the settee cushion, an arm raising to cover over his eyes. 

“Nothing.”

“But it’s not nothing?” The taller man furrowed his eyebrows, voice mellow. 

“It’s not but it’s easier to say that than to explain.”

Lucas breathed heavily, a rather mature look on his face as he shrugged his shoulders. 

“You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to but don’t say it’s just nothing, Mm? I won’t force you to say anything you don’t want to say but know I’m here if you need me.”

“Is this how you talk to Riann?” 

Lucas’ face instantly changed to that of ludicrous confusion, a nervous smile breaking out, his head tilting for clarification. “Eh?”

Hendery broke into a sly smirk as he slightly moved his arm from his eyes to peak over at Lucas. 

“It’s not a bad thing, don’t get me wrong.” Hendery shook his head. ”It’s just the way you reacted? You’ve never questioned ‘nothing’ before. If anything, you just left it or asked if I wanted to go out to eat. That’s why I asked if that was how you talked to Riann? It’s like ever since you two got together your mannerisms and stuff have changed, you‘re more…. aware?” Hendery raised his arm up. “Again! Not a bad thing.”

“So I wasn’t aware before?”

“No! No, not in that way! Just… Ugh, okay it sounds bad now but I meant as in like… She’s brought the best out of you? As in it’s clear you’ve grown whilst being with her? And not just because you’re simply ageing or because of Gender Studies or whatever you do.”

“It’s Gender and Women Studies.” Lucas swiftly corrected. 

“Right, that. Like, I can see the positive impact she’s had on you. That’s all.”

Lucas only nodded, a soft exhale as he took in Hendery’s words. There was a patch of silence between the two of them. Normally, he’d take that chance to ask Hendery if he wanted something to eat or whether he was up for an impromptu round of 2K but no, he’s a changed man according to Hendery. Might as well act like one. 

“Why haven’t you asked Maya to be your girlfriend yet?”

Hendery groaned. “Fuck, Lucas not now.”

“No, let’s talk about it! Come on! Yo, Let’s go!” The shit eating grin on Lucas’ face told Hendery everything that he needed to know about him walking into his own trap. 

“I’d rather not.”

“Yeah, we can all see that but it’s not fair on the girl, is it?” Lucas took a cushion before weakly lunging it towards Hendery, the plop earning a soft ‘oof’ from the pensive boy. 

“Unless I’ve been reading it wrong?” Lucas’ voice hushed, as if he was talking a secret. “Is it because you don’t like her?”

“No, I do I just…” Hendery didn’t skip a beat to answer but it seemed like he wanted to continue He didn’t. Lucas had to edge him on. 

“You just what?” 

“I’m just….scared? If that’s the word.” Lucas fidgeted in his seat. Hendery was being a bit too cryptic for his liking. Maybe Riann had made a positive impression on him— He’s finding it so hard to understand the lack of words Hendery was using. 

“Scared of what Hendery? Scared of Maya? Scared of commitment?” 

“I’m scared to ask her out.”

The older male nodded. He was getting somewhere.

“Why? You think she’ll reject you?”

“Kinda? But also because she’s such a great person? She’s honestly just… she’s everything I’d want in a girl but I’m just so tied up about the fact that she wouldn’t want me? Like what if she’s seeing someone else? What if she sees me as just a friend? What then? What if she has her eye on a different guy? Like, all these things run through my head before I can even muster the courage to ask her out and it just sucks.”

Lucas listened tentatively. So Hendery in fact did like Maya but just didn’t have the confidence to admit it— to her at least. Right, so he was on the right tracks. 

“Did you ask her out like I told you to?”

Hendery nodded. 

“Yeah, and it turned out horribly. She seemed so freaked out by it so I just resorted to asking her to go out as friends and even when we did go out, it was just like any other time.” The troubled boy ran a hand down his face. “This sucks.”

“She freaked out when you asked her on a date…” was all Lucas muttered to himself before he started to laugh. At first it was a soft giggle but once it had turned into a full blown bellow, Hendery could only scoff at his friend’s seemingly lack of pity for his troubled love life. 

“Oh, fuck you man.” The pillow that had landed on Hendery earlier was thrown back at Lucas, the item hitting his head as he was bent over on the sofa, holding his stomach from the pain. 

Hendery started to pout. “Why can’t you take me seriously?”

Lucas' laugh had started to subsidise, small dabs at the edge of his eyes to wipe the tears that had started to accumulate. “It’s not that it’s just…” He giggled again, Hendery keeping quiet to let him finish. In the end, Lucas ended up only shaking his head before sitting back up properly, a warm smile directed towards his friend. 

“Ah… Don’t worry. Just know you guys will get together sooner than you think.”

And honestly? Lucas was saying that without being sure of how to address the issue. He had that kind of intuition. Knowing when things would come to pass. It’s the main reason that when Riann had asked him a Hendery and Maya (Haya? Mayery?? HenMa???) question a few days later, it didn’t come to his surprise at all. 

“Do you think Hendery has the guts to ask Maya out?” 

The question arose during a football match replay, the TV on for background noise. Neither of the two were paying proper attention. Riann was on her phone as her head lay in Lucas’ lap while the larger male read up on whatever Judith Butler had to say — Per Riann’s request. Yet, the rather noticeably meditated question struck Lucas’ attention. He easily closed the book and placed it on the side table besides the sofa. 

He ticked his head to the side before answering,

“The courage to? I don’t think so. He wants to though.”

Riann removed her phone from the male’s view of her face.

“Well, that’s what I meant by guts like, the courage to actually ask her out. You don’t think he has it?”

A deep sort of whine vibrated within Lucas’ throat. He kept pausing. He had to think of something succinct to say. 

“Mm. I wouldn’t put it like that—“

“Baby, you’re too nice.” 

The girl adjusted herself so that she could cuddle her face closer to her boyfriend’s stomach. She rubbed her face over his skin a few times. It was times like these she was thankful he liked being shirtless when comfortable. 

“Their feelings are mutual, man but Maya doesn’t think Hendery likes her enough to ask her out and Hendery won’t do anything out of his own volition. I almost feel like if we don’t intervene it’ll just get unnecessarily messy.” She blew hot air out of her mouth. “Lucas, we need to do something.” 

Lucas could only giggle at his girlfriend, a large hand covering his mouth as he tried his best not to show how infatuated he was. 

“Trying to play cupid. So cute.”

Riann only groaned. 

“Bro, I’m being serious.” 

The older male reached down to languidly scratch at his girlfriend’s temple, a soft look on his face. 

“I know you are. And I agree. But how exactly do you expect us to go about it?”

There was a pause. Lucas could practically hear the gears moving rapidly within his girlfriend’s mind, well oiled and well used. He admired that about her, always seemingly one step ahead. When the girl finally looked up at Lucas, he already knew she had pieced something together. To hell, it was probably a crap idea too but no way was Lucas going to give up a chance to get his best friend’s together. 

“Well?”

Riann smiled, a smirk too big for just a simple plan. 

“Let’s switch our best friends for the day.” 

Fun Houses weren’t his thing. Not like he hated them or anything (Lucas would very much prefer this over a day at the Museum though) but something about the place wasn’t really speaking to him. He doesn’t mind though, he’s here with the people he loves and even though things are a bit tiring with uni deadlines and work load, he’s happy to be there, with them, in a place where no reflective surface he looked at reflected the true state of his being.

Looking over at his friends however, Lucas felt a pang of happiness. Maya and Hendery seemed to be getting along nicely, their laughs boisterous as they shared jokes between each other. It was interactions like that that made him wonder why the process of them getting together had to be so lengthy. 

He would have been in his observatory gaze for longer however Lucas could feel someone thrusting something into his hand. He looked down at the source of the prodding. 

“So? Babe? What’s our plan?”

Riann had given Lucas the tote bag that held their packed lunches in as soon as he opened his palm up in reaction to her prodding. It looks like she had asked an unrelated question to her actions just to distract him. Cunning. 

The waft of warm pasta met his nose. Oh right, the food. Lucas wasn’t happy about that either. Lucas liked eating outside food when he went out. The thrill of looking forward to an exciting meal after the outing was the best part. Not that home food was bad, but food outside seemed to always taste so much better. Now there was nothing to look forward to because he was being made to eat food from home. Lucas shrugged before answering his girlfriend. 

“There is no plan. We just try and sway them away from each other and subtly talk them into confessing.” The male spoke hushed, mindful to keep his voice low as he spoke to the shorter girl. 

“Well, that very much sounds like a plan to me.” The challenging look that Riann had on her face made Lucas pause. Riann caught on to his lack of enthusiastic reaction before waving it off. 

“Whatever. Where are they anyways? They were literally just behind us…” 

To Lucas’ surprise, Riann was right. The two had seemed to have wandered off together, or alone, yet together was very much likely. 

“Omg, Should I call them? Lucas call Hendery.” 

While the girl scrambled around to find her phone, Lucas could only smile knowingly. 

“Riann, hold off. It’s okay they’re big people.”

“Okay but them being ‘big people’ has never helped them to get together before so we need to find them.” Riann was panicking at this point yet Lucas only kept a calm demeanour before placing his hand on top of the girl’s head. 

“Babe. Leave it.” 

Riann’s shoulders slumped, her movements ceasing to go at the same pace. 

“Only because you said to..”

Lucas smirked softly at her easy defeat, his hand that was holding her head moving down to her shoulders, easily allowing him to press the girl into his side. 

“Now come on, Let’s get this Fun House started already. I’m already starting to get hungry.”

“I thought you had a big head before but this… this is…”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence. Maya giggled mischievously as Hendery swiped at her, stopping her from continuing her words. She dodged his attack by fleeing speedily even though Hendery’s action hadn’t enough power to do anything to her. 

Hendery continued to look in the augmented mirror. The effect was that it was supposed to make anything that reflected in it look smaller but according to Maya, it didn’t do a good job with his head. He looked over to where the girl had fled to. 

“Maya…”

He took several steps towards the girl as she seemed to be occupied with another attraction. Maya looked up at Hendery with a seemingly innocent smile before going back to playing with the function on one of the room colour changing machines. Hendery watched her momentarily. He doesn’t know where it came from but a surge of courage had suddenly hit him. Maybe it was the fact that they were alone? Or maybe it was the conversation he had with Lucas. Or maybe it was the overall build up of his feelings for the girl. Hendery wasn’t sure but whatever it was, it helped. 

Hendery came up from behind the girl before laying his chin just on top of her shoulder. 

“Is my head really that big?” 

Maya didn’t move. Her hands had started to work the switches of the room lights but her shoulders had definitely stiffened in place. Hendery could even feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. 

“Yeah. It is.” 

Hendery felt daring. He resorted in bringing his arms up and around Maya’s waist, holding her from behind, a slight squeeze to his touch. Maya was still playing with the lights of the room, the dark shades of purple stifling their views. 

“Is it really?” Hendery continued holding Maya in place as he watched her hands work aimlessly with the console. His voice was low, not low enough to be labeled as husky but definitely not loud enough for anyone else to hear. Even though it was just them in the room, he made sure to tailor it just for her. “Or are you just saying that?” 

Maya seemed to have admitted some sort of defeat as all she did was nod silently. However, it was no mistake in how she dutifully leaned back into Hendery’s embrace, the unsaid words between them deafening as their very first intimate interaction played out. She still played with the lights, the hues and different shapes on the wall seemingly background distractions to what was going on between them. Hendery kept his position in hugging Maya from the back— that was until the distant voices of children and several adults started to come into hearing. Hendery had let go of her first with a loud inhale, the weight of his actions starting to catch up to him. 

“Let’s go see what’s in the next room.”

His courage had drained. His voice was almost near timid again. Hendery doubted he could pull anything remotely as bold like that again, what was he thinking?! Maya only nodded her head in agreement, walking next to the man as they both exited into the next room over. 

The rest of the funhouse had been alright but the vibes were clearly dwindled. The two hadn’t said as much to each other as they normally would. They expressed joy or exchanged a quick “Come look at this” every now and then but there was a clear tension in the air that Hendery felt guilty for making. He felt bad that he had done that to Maya, sent a vague message yet not elaborate on what it meant. He couldn’t just leave himself unexplained because that would cause confusion, erode bridges within the relationship between the two. 

So he made the decision to reach out. To make the first move once again, to bring the confidence back despite his head telling him to stay stagnant and unmoving. 

Hendery took Maya’s hand in his own. 

It was a lame attempt. How one could fumble in holding someone’s hand he doesn’t know but he’d achieved it and done just that. Maya caught on though. That’s one thing he realised about the girl. She always seemed to pick up after him. 

As Hendery’s fingers stuttered in reaching out to hers, missing her hand twice and resorting to clasping onto her pinkie finger, Maya met him halfway in the process and instead took her hand back only to then go forward and clasp their palms together instead, her hand small in his. 

His hands felt knobbly, even calloused in some places. Somehow it was comforting. Hendery was comforting. 

Neither of them looked at each other. At first, both of them stayed sweating in the palms of the others hand. They stayed like that for a while, holding hands and awkwardly looking at different attractions together. Stealing glances and all. It’s only when Hendery squeezed Maya’s hand and muttered a soft “I’m sorry” that the conversation started to flow properly. 

“What you sorry for?”

They were both sitting on top of a large square cube, a world of cushion shapes below them. The sound of hyper kids filtering out in the background. 

“Taking forever to do this,” Hendery raised their still linked hands up that were previously neatly sat between them. “to confess to you, I mean. I should have done it awhile ago.”

Maya smiled, her cheeks bulging and her legs batting off of the cushion cube. She wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily and so prodded further. 

“But like you still haven’t actually confessed to me yet soo..” She leaned back slightly. Hendery blew air out through his nose, seemingly annoyed but still having a sly smile on his face as he turned towards the girl besides him. 

“Okay, well. Maya. My really good friend, Maya—”

“What? That sounds so friendzoney. What the hell—?”

Hendery whined childishly as if he had just been told to stop making his confession sound like he was friendzoning his crush. 

“Stop! I’m trying my best!” 

“Okay, sorry carry on.”

Hendery only pouted, shaking his head in refusal to actually say much else. Maya squeezed his hand for him to carry on but the male still didn’t respond accordingly. Maya sighed. This was really the man she had fallen head over heels for. 

“Hendery? I said I’m sorry. Please carry on..”

She shook their intertwined hands this time but instead of a confirmation, Hendery only muttered a soft ‘stop’ and pulled his hand away. The action caused Maya’s heart to clench. Had she really gone and done it? Had she really gone and spoiled the chances of her crush admitting they shared the same feelings? What if Hendery didn’t like her anymore? Maya spoke with a hushed voice, words catching up in her throat as she attempted to push them out. 

“Are you mad at me?”

Hendery thankfully only shook his head accompanied with a sigh, seemingly starting to notice that he may have wrongly made Maya feel a way he didn’t intend. 

“No, I.. I’m not mad at you? I just..” He sighed once more before taking Maya’s hand back up into his, his thumb aimlessly running over her knuckles. 

“I really like you, Maya. Like, a lot. And I’m sorry it took me so long to say this. I’m even more sorry for making you think that I didn’t like you? I mean, Lucas said it was obvious with the way I tailed after you like a puppy but I didn’t believe him. If anything, I think he was just saying that so I’d become more conscious of me liking you rather than because I actually did tail you like a puppy? I dunno, now that I think about it, a lot of stuff Lucas has told me in relation to my feelings to you seems kinda sus. Like him always telling me to go with you to the canteen? That to me just seems like he—“

Hendery was cut off by a short peck being delivered to the apple of his cheek. He knew what it was as soon as it had happened but it was taking him a hard time believing it. The muscle under his cheek was feverish. Hot. 

“I like you too, Hendery.”

His RAM wasn’t processing this fast enough. A slow hand raised to his cheek. Did Maya just kiss him on the cheek? 

“Yes, I did. I also just confessed back to you, silly.”

Did he just say that out loud?! Hendery snapped out of the paraleiptic trance Maya had put him in. Get yourself together! 

“Sorry, I…” He couldn’t help but laugh softly. “I dazed for a bit.”

Maya’s giggle was just as fragile. “Yeah, I could tell.”

He could feel a small tug at his hand. Ah, right. They were still holding hands. He could also feel Maya scoot closer towards him as their conjoined hands were now both placed within his lap. He at first just saw it as Maya seeking to close the gap, a new reckoning between them. He looked over to the one next to him, the one making him feel all these things even though nothing was being said. Maybe he should say something. Wait, she was leaning in. What was she doing? Hendery’s mind wasn’t working too fast before this but he definitely knew what was happening now! 

“No!”

Maya sprung back to her original spot in surprise.

“No…?”

Hendery was starting to panic. That ‘no’ was definitely giving off a vibe he didn’t want to give off. He didn’t want to make her think that he didn’t want to kiss her. She was going to kiss him, right? He shook his head rapidly, his free hand out in front him, following his bobbing head. 

“No, as in, I want to be the one to kiss you first rather than you me. I should be at least. Give me time.”

The look Maya gave to Hendery was that of a weary yet understanding woman. Did she take offence or not? Hendery was panicking. Big time. He ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back. 

“Trust me, I want to kiss you. Like, a lot I just… Let me be the one to initiate it,” Hendery cocked his head to look at her better. “Is that okay with you?”

Maya was silent for a while. Her silence stretched on for so long that Hendery feared that she was indeed upset at him. The male was going to speak up and say something in order to plague the distance between them but luckily, with a sigh, Maya replied. 

“That’s okay with me, Hendery. I’ll wait.”

Hendery physically sagged. 

“Thanks. I thought you were going to outright reject me or something, whew!”

“Reject you? Whaaaat? Why would I do that?” The girl made an exaggerated face, one Hendery had seen many times before but for some reason, he now saw in a different light. Hendery groaned before sliding off of the massive cube cushion they were on rather than go back down the root they had come up via the mini stepping blocks behind them. As Hendery landed on his feet, he made a loud sound, close to a grunt. He looked back up from where he had just come from. The massive cube towered well above him, it was high, even for a fully grown man within a soft play area made for kids. 

“Mm, I dunno.” He looked over at Maya as he started to gravitate just below her near her legs, hands subconsciously tugging on her shins. “I just always thought you’d liked other guys or I was just too lame for you or something. I dunno, I dunno.”

Maya made a weird noise, as if in response to Hendery’s, before responding; “I always thought that with you, not gonna lie.” 

She started to slide down the cube, Hendery already having his arm open for her to jump into. Maya flopped ungracefully but successfully into the male’s open arms, her skirt catching onto him and accidentally riding it up. The mishap caused a squeal from Maya’s mouth and a small shout of alarm from Hendery, causing a few kids to turn their heads in question. Hendery quickly placed Maya onto the floor feet first, instantly flattening her skirt for her. 

“Fuck, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, Shit…”

Maya held onto his arms for support as she airily giggled out words of approval that Hendery hadn’t done much wrong. The top of his head was so close to her face, she could count the individual strands if she wanted. Wait. She peered closer. Was that —dandruff?

“Okay, you ready to go?” Hendery pulled his head back up, cheeks dusted a soft hue of baby. Maya nodded, answering with an elongated ’yes’. She’d bring that up with Riann later. 

It was getting towards the end of their journey in the funhouse in which Hendery had gotten a text message from Lucas, causing his back pocket to vibrate. Using his unoccupied hand because yes, Hendery was still holding Maya’s hand (Ha! Take that reddit thread which told him he was indeed being friendzoned!), the male reached into his back pocket to take out his phone, reading the message from the front screen, the glowing lights within the bendy corridor reflecting off the screen. 

Lucas: are ya winning son?

Hendery grinned down at his phone. Yeah, yeah he could say that. He opted into not replying just yet as when another text came through, Maya caught his attention. 

“Who’s that?”

Hendery shook his head, even though he replied:  
“It’s just Lucas asking where we are” which wasn’t a lie since Lucas did send several texts that piled over the last one, concerning their whereabouts.

Lucas: where are you guys? 

Lucas: me and riann finished @ ballpit

Lucas: please hurry. very hungry

“And that he’s super hungry.”

Maya made an “ouh” noise before jumping slightly, a small wave of excitement washing over her as her eyes widened. “Tell him to eat the pasta Riann brought for us. That’d be funny.”

Hendery snickered along with her, already typing out the reply, his other arm now wrapped around Maya’s shoulders. 

“You’re so wrong for that but I’m here for it.” Hendery typed the reply with one hand.

Hendery: lol if ur thqt hungry just eat the pasta riann packed for you

Both of the two giggled against each other when Hendery sent the message and the status read delivered. Hendery and Maya stopped in their tracks as they watched the speech bubbles that indicated Lucas was typing. The bubble bobbed up and down. It appeared and disappeared several times before a single text came through. 

Lucas: >:(

A pout grew onto Maya’s face. “Awe man. Now it’s not funny no more.” She resumed walking and out of Hendery’s looming arm, the perimeter around him now felt empty, her warmth a ghost of the brief contact they shared. 

Hendery stared at the message a while longer before pocketing his phone and slightly waddling the remainder of the space between him and Maya in order to catch up with her. Should he reach for her hand again?

“You know him, he’ll be fine..”

He didn’t get an answer though. He ended up stumbling next to Maya as she had halted suddenly in her tracks, her stance holding uncanny resemblance to an emoji. Hendery followed her eye trajectory which led him to see that the corridor they were in had split off into two sections. Maya made a humming noise. 

“Stairs or the twisty slides?” She looked over to Hendery. 

“Which one, Hends?”

Both modes seem to lead to the same place as many parents in front of them were seen setting their children down the flashy slide before taking the route of the stairs. There was a brief pause but Hendery made his decision quickly. 

“Stairs” 

Maya looked over to the boy next to her in shock. 

“Wait, what?” She stepped to stand in front of Hendery, holding onto his arm as if he was about to escape. “No clarity moment where we both shout the same thing? No thrill?” She poked his arm with a jab. “You don’t like fun, Hendery? Is that it?”

He tried to laugh it off, as he did most things, but Maya wasn’t having it. She waited for an answer. Hendery guesses he had to give her one. 

“Maya, I’m joking. Of course I wanna take the slide!” Hendery smiled widely as he took the hand Maya had on him and instead used it to steer her towards the slide. Maya squinted at Hendery as he guided her towards the entrance of the large cylinder. “Oh, Slide, huh? Good, coz I was about to say..” 

They both stood at the entrance for a while, unsure of who was going to go first. That was until Hendery ushered Maya in front of him. 

“Come, you sit first so you can fit into my lap. We’ll go down together.”

Maya blinked once, then twice, before she furrowed her eyebrows in uncertainty as she looked over at Hendery. 

“You sure? I can just follow after you, it’s okay…”

Hendery shook his head, already pressing lightly on Maya’s shoulders so that she could get the message and start sitting at the entrance. 

“I insist, let’s go together! It’ll be more fun too. 

A small queue of adamant children started to form behind the two, the spectre of two grown adults figuring out how they were to go down the slide. By the time Hendery got Maya to sit down at the edge of the descending tunnel, he himself was sitting behind her, legs besides hers and arms around her waist. Hendery brought his head forward and slotted his chin just within the crook of Maya’s neck. She was so warm, Hendery could get used to the warmness. 

“You ready?”

His voice was hushed since he was so close to Maya’s ears but for some reason he felt as if it was only ever her he needed to speak to. Only ever her that should have to hear him speak from now on. 

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

He couldn't see her face but Hendery could feel the smile on Maya’s face, her cheeks bulging with the act. 

Without another word of affirmation, Hendery pushed forwards so that the both of them could start to descend the slide. 

The slide itself was dark inside but the flashing neon lights that lit up the case added to the thrilling atmosphere that presented itself to the two. It wasn’t a scary ride either but the both of them screamed on their way down as if their lives depended on it. The rush and pace at which they were moving, the feeling of being within each other's arms. It was overwhelming! 

And all whilst this was going on, Hendery’s heart still had time to figure things out, still had time to confirm things for itself. Things he thought he already knew but within that short period of time, was shown he didn’t. 

He knows now though. 

The light started to catch the inside of the tunnel from the other end, their destination insight. They were both shooting out of the tunnel before they could realise the ride was over. They both hovered in mid-air momentarily before being dumped into a pit of balls, a vacuum for all sound as the juxtaposition between the rush of the slide and the deafening silence of inside the pit stark. 

Maya herself was still laughing when she came up. As soon as her head was above the mosh of inflatables, she looked around for Hendery. The fluorescent white lighting of the area meant that he wasn’t the first thing she saw but definitely the thing she focused on. She laughed once again, swamping through the pit of balls so that she could reach the boy. 

“Yo! Hendery!” 

The smile that was on her face slowly melted away when she saw the look on Hendery’s face. He wasn’t sad or angry but he didn’t look happy either. If anything, the man looked hazy? 

“Hends, what’s up? Are you okay? Do you feel sick or something?”

But before Maya could ask any further, Hendery had already made his move by softly cupping her cheeks within his palms and slotting his lips carefully onto hers. 

At first, Maya was shocked because what the hell? Literally seconds ago she was underneath a pile of balls but now she had her crush of almost 2 years kissing her amongst those balls. Romantic? Not so much, in fact, far from. 

However, it didn’t take long for Maya to start kissing back, one of her hands instinctively coming up to place lightly upon Hendery’s cheek as she could feel the amount of relief poured into Hendery’s actions. This wasn’t something done during the spur of the moment. This was pent up. This was months and months and months worth of an action Hendery longed to do. The time to choose to do it was questionable at that but it’s understandable that all of today’s events would have led up to the seam being broken. The cat was out of the box. 

Maya should have figured that someone was going to stop them. Whether that be a flying child coming out of the slide crashing into them or a staff member escorting them out of the ball pit due to the two cheesy adults making out within a child’s ball pit at the end of a funhouse — she knew that neither her or Hendery would pull away out of their own free will. The way they were stopped was efficient to say the least. 

“Babe, throw more balls. Aim for his head.”

Due to the way they were facing, Maya didn’t experience any of the mentioned weapons used in attacking the duo. Hendery bared all the brute (lol) force of the balls being thrown at his back. How chivalrous of him! But alas, he couldn’t bear it for long. 

“Okay! We’ve stopped! We’ve stopped!”

Maya could hear Hendery’s voice booming before she realised his lips were no longer on her. She had to come back to reality some time. She looked past Hendery to see Riann and Lucas on the edge of the ball pit, their grinning faces easy to spot. 

“Look at you two! This is so cringe but congratulations on your late discovery!” 

Maya could already sense the teasing that was going to come out of this. She should have known this was what you got when you made out within a child infested ball pit. 

“Come on, let’s get outta here.”

Hendery took Maya’s hand into his, his head cocking towards the steps that lead out of the pit. Maya nodded up at him wordlessly. The look on his face… Maya could have sworn that before now, she had never seen this man at peace because with how content he looked now? It was beyond comprehensible. 

She happily followed Hendery out of the ball pit. Maybe things weren’t too bad after all. 

The interior of the restaurant was nice enough. The atmosphere seemed busy and service seemed moderate. It wasn’t anything special, at least that’s what everyone but Lucas thought. He was too busy looking through the menu, bouncing lightly in his seat as the premise of mouth watering food enticed him. [Read Below]

[Note: Riann gave in to Lucas. During the time in which Lucas had sent Hendery the text messages about being hungry and by the time they had all met up again by the ball pit, Lucas had coerced Riann into allowing him to eat out in a restaurant after all.]

The two couples(?) sat next to each other and opposite their respective best friend. Maya and Hendery were acting shy next to each other — almost seeming like a regression for the development within the ball pit— but the smiles on their faces and small touches here and there said elsewise. 

Riann smiled at them childishly. 

“I never thought this day would come but look at you two, all so cute and soft for each other so openly rather than that….weird jealous-y thing you two had going on.” 

Hendery only laughed shyly, eyes instinctively looking down at the menu as Maya blew a raspberry at Riann, waving her hand in dismissal. 

“Please do not remind me about that! I’m banning that from ever being a topic of discussion ever again.” Maya watched Riann’s smile grow. “Riann, I’m serious!”

“Okay! Okay! I hear you. I won’t remind you of that in any normal circumstance.” 

Maya questioned Riann’s use of wording but she glassed over it. The older girl clapped her hands together. 

“Anyways, two couples! We can finally have non-platonic outings!” Maya leaned forward into the table as Riann spoke, the latter girl following her actions. 

“Eee! I know, right? We can finally go on double dates now! 

“Shit, yes! Yes we can! Oh my gosh, Maya I have so many places in mind! There was this cute sky garden I heard about that’d be so cute for a double date! Apparently we can get student discounts too so it’ll be fun!”

The two girls squealed, twinkling their hands at each other whilst kicking their feet, that was before Lucas enthusiastically interrupted Riann. 

“Babe, do you want two separate meals or should we get a platter to share between us? This one here has lots of meat in it and I’ve worked out that with two sides, you’re basically getting more in it than if it was separate.” 

Riann paused her squeals to look over at the menu Lucas had at hand.

“Yeah, baby whatever you want. We’re here for you after all.” Lucas didn’t pay any mind to Riann’s backhand comment. Instead, he went back to the menu, becoming more intrigued in an apparent deal that was being offered. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought he didn’t hear her comment. 

“Wait, Oh my goodness,” Riann turned back to Maya. ”How did Hendery confess? Was it cute? Did he make a long speech?”

Looking over to him, Maya raised a hand to pinch at his cheek closest to her. 

“Rather than a long speech it was more just…. verbal diarrhoea. Like a really stinky one”

Hendery made a disgusted face over at Maya albeit his reaction sweet as he soon smiled afterwards. The eating table sat behind them seemed to have also heard the description, their reactions however different as their chairs scraped forwards and away from the couple. Riann made sure to keep her voice a bit lower as she spoke her next words. 

“Wait, that sounds a lot like him though. Why do you think it took him so long to confess because even Lucas was telling me for the longest that he liked you but… just didn’t have the confidence.”

Maya opened her eyes in agreement, raising her hand out for emphasis. 

“Right! No, he said how apparently he thought I was seeing other guys? Or just, you know, didn’t like him or see him as a guy I’d like which we both know is stupid because I’ve liked him for awhile.”

“Meh.. guess you can’t blame him if he didn’t know then, innit.”

Maya repeated ‘innit’ to herself softly. She snickered. 

“Like if Hendery generally believed that then I can’t say he should have known. To each their own.”

Hendery sat rigid in his seat, mildly perplexed. He looked between Maya and Riann. If anyone was listening in on the conversation, would they have even known it was him at the topic of discussion? He tilted his body forwards so that he could interject the girls’ conversation. 

“Uh, why are you guys talking about me like I’m not here?”

“Hendery..”

He looked in front of him at Lucas since he had called his name. His head was still buried down in the menu but he held a finger to his lips and shook his head as if to indicate for Hendery to be quiet. 

Hendery sat back defeated. 

“Well!” Riann clapped her hands together. “Since you guys are official, we should raise a toast!”

Official. Labels. That was something else, another story. Maya looked nervously around her before answering: 

“Uh.. We’re not… official? I mean, Hendery hasn’t really… asked me out yet.”

Everyone looked over at Hendery, even Lucas who was seemingly uninterested in the conversation glanced up at the boy in front of him. 

Hendery stuttered for an answer. 

“I’m waiting for the right time?” 

No one seemed brought. He continued scrambling for words. 

“Like you said Riann, a ball pit would have been cheesy,” 

“I said what now?”

“so like I’m waiting for the right enough time to do it..” 

The whole table’s mood had shifted. There was definitely an uncomfortable energy that Hendery didn’t know how to fix. That’s why he’s so lucky, so so lucky that he had (a) friend/s — because who was doing it like Lucas — to save his hind from scary scenarios like these. 

“My good friend Maya, do you like Hendery?”

Everyone turned to look at Lucas. Maya looked between Riann and the man who had just asked her a question before simply answering, 

“Yeah.. Yeah, I do.”

“Good!” Lucas raised a thumbs up. He turned to the boy in front of him. 

“Hendery, my Bro. Do you like Maya?

Hendery answered with an assured yes, almost a bit too forceful. Lucas clapped his hands together, almost bringing the table to life with his smile. 

“Then, Okay! You are both boyfriend and girlfriend! Now Kiss! ”

Despite everyone’s lack of acknowledgment to what just happened, the next few moves were as sure as could be. Hendery leaned over and kissed Maya square on the mouth, her hands returning instinctively to his cheek and nape of his neck. 

Lucas gave a round of applause at his own work, Riann only watching on with a knowing smile. When the two pulled away, Maya could only hide her face with one hand, her face heating up. Hendery himself back away with his cheeks and ears glowing red yet happiness written all over him. 

“Okay! Can we order now please?!”

Riann agreed with Lucas’ outburst, finally looking over at what deal he presumes to have found and not have been led to by the menu’s layout. Hendery on the other hand pushed the menu towards Maya shyly, his chair seemingly closer than last time. 

“Should we order a shared meal?”

Maya peeked out from under her hand, looking over at the menu now in her field of vision. 

“Uh, yeah sure. What would you like?”

Hendery hummed as he scanned over the menu, eyes looking over the illustrations and words displayed before turning to Maya once again. 

“Anything you have, I’d have.”

Maya paused. 

“Okay but same. So you pick.”

“No, I insist, you pick.” 

“No, Hendery, you pick please.” 

The two bickered back and forth for over a minute until finally, they both decided. 

They both ended up getting Pasta. 

(Hendery pulled Maya to the side, the Wednesday morning being no time for these conversations but Hendery had to seeing it was the first time he had seen Maya before their joint date with Riann and Lucas. 

“I know Lucas technically officiated us but I want to ask you myself.”

Maya looked over to Hendery with a soft look. 

“Go on.”

Hendery nodded before taking both the girl’s hand in his, squeezing onto them slightly. 

“Maya, would you like to be my girlfriend?”

Maya didn’t reply but instead tiptoed upwards to plant a gentle kiss onto Hendery’s lips. The boy responded quickly, already returning her kiss with ease. When they both pulled back, Hendery grinned. He didn’t say anything for awhile. That was until his mind had caught up with him. 

“Great kiss and all but I’m not 100% sure what that meant so I’m gonna take it as a yes?”

“Yes. It’s a yes Hendery.”

“Okay! Okay, just checking.”)


End file.
